Novak Djokovic defeated Alexander Zverev in the China Open quarter-finals with a score of 4-6 6-4 6-4. The Serbian player advanced to the semi-finals, where he will face Daniil Medvedev.
Zverev, the world number two and top seed, won the first set 6-4 after taking advantage of a break in the first game. Djokovic made a break at 5-4 in the second set to level the match, and in the third set, he again took the serve from Zverev at 5-4, which was enough for the victory.
Djokovic, who is 39 years old and has 24 Grand Slam titles, has been unbeaten in 32 matches in Beijing. With this win, he is one step closer to a seventh title at the China Open and his first in 2026. The two players had not played each other for nearly 16 months, and Zverev is 29 years old.
"These are the kind of moments that I still play for, compete for," said Djokovic. He added that his motivation is high when he feels good and competes against the best players in the world in front of 15,000 people, and that such moments define the dreams of every tennis player.
"It's been a struggle this year for different reasons," said Djokovic. "But I'm still here, still grinding, still making the youngsters work for their money. I'm just glad to push it through." He highlighted that the form and fitness were challenging, but he was pleased to have made it through to the end.
In the semi-finals, Djokovic will play Medvedev on Monday, the third seed, who defeated Francisco Cerundolo 7-6 (7-4) 6-3. In the other semi-final, Poland's Hubert Hurkacz will face Australia's Alex de Minaur. Hurkacz defeated Karen Khachanov 7-6 (7-2) 6-2, while de Minaur beat Andrey Rublev 1-6 6-2 6-3, despite losing the first set.
